fix(mcp): refuse changes to externally managed dashboards in all dashboard tools

[mikebridge]

SUMMARY

Follow-up to #44094, which made the certification tool refuse externally managed dashboards. The other MCP tools that change an existing dashboard did not apply the same rule, so an MCP client could edit a dashboard whose source of truth lives outside Superset.

All MCP tools that change an existing dashboard now refuse a dashboard that is managed externally, using the same error shape as the certification refusal (managed_externally=True, with guidance not to retry). The refusal is returned after the editor-permission check and before any write, so a caller who cannot edit the dashboard receives the ordinary permission response.

• Covered tools: owners, roles, certification, markdown/layout components, update_dashboard, add chart, remove chart, native filters, delete and restore.
• A single shared guard (managed_dashboard_refusal) owns the check and the wording; certification and markdown now use it too. Six response schemas gain the managed_externally field.
• Read-only tools are unchanged, as are dashboard creation and duplication, which produce a new dashboard rather than changing the source.
• MCP is intentionally stricter than REST here: the REST update command still allows a local-only published change on a managed dashboard, while MCP refuses every mutation. This is noted in UPDATING.md and the MCP server docs.

BEFORE/AFTER SCREENSHOTS OR ANIMATED GIF

N/A (MCP response behavior only). Before, for example, manage_dashboard_owners or update_dashboard on an externally managed dashboard changed it. After, they return a structured refusal with managed_externally=True and make no write.

TESTING INSTRUCTIONS

Run pytest tests/unit_tests/mcp_service/dashboard -q along with tests/unit_tests/mcp_service/test_tool_description_constraints.py and tests/unit_tests/mcp_service/test_tool_inventory.py.

The managed-dashboard regression covers each of the ten mutation tools (written first; eight failed on the old code, the other two were the existing certification and markdown gates), a parametrized unmanaged case that confirms each tool still reaches its normal write path, and a case confirming that a non-editor gets the ordinary authorization response. Manually, call any of the mutation tools against an editable externally managed dashboard and confirm a managed_externally=True refusal and an unchanged dashboard, then repeat against an unmanaged dashboard and confirm the normal result.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Has associated issue
• Required feature flags
• Changes UI
• Includes DB Migration
• Introduces new feature or API: adds managed_externally to six MCP response schemas
• Removes existing feature or API

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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[codeant-ai-for-open-source]

CodeAnt PR Risk: Medium Risk

• The PR needs attention before merging.
• The new restore precheck returns a refusal containing the dashboard title and ID; confirm editorship is checked first to avoid exposing managed-dashboard details.

Assessed commit: 8ad91cfec2f6

[codecov]

Codecov Report

❌ Patch coverage is 94.00000% with 6 lines in your changes missing coverage. Please review.
✅ Project coverage is 82.60%. Comparing base (6f6be95) to head (8ad91cf).
⚠️ Report is 10 commits behind head on master.

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
...set/mcp_service/dashboard/tool/delete_dashboard.py	83.33%	4 Missing ⚠️
...cp_service/dashboard/tool/manage_native_filters.py	92.85%	2 Missing ⚠️

Additional details and impacted files

@@           Coverage Diff           @@
##           master   #45062   +/-   ##
=======================================
  Coverage   82.59%   82.60%           
=======================================
  Files        3005     3005           
  Lines      186920   187009   +89     
  Branches    43300    43317   +17     
=======================================
+ Hits       154382   154473   +91     
+ Misses      29773    29772    -1     
+ Partials     2765     2764    -1     

Flag	Coverage Δ
hive	36.18% <24.00%> (-0.03%)	⬇️
mysql	55.04% <24.00%> (-0.04%)	⬇️
postgres	55.05% <24.00%> (-0.04%)	⬇️
presto	38.03% <24.00%> (-0.03%)	⬇️
python	86.42% <94.00%> (+0.01%)	⬆️
sqlite	54.78% <24.00%> (-0.04%)	⬇️
unit	79.55% <94.00%> (+0.03%)	⬆️

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[aminghadersohi]

No findings and CI is green; disabling the refusal in each of the ten tools fails the new regression test. I'm holding approval only for CodeAnt's open race thread, whose check-then-write pattern already exists in master's certification/markdown guard and REST update.

[aminghadersohi]

All ten tools refuse externally managed dashboards only after the editor check, each guard is pinned by the new test, CI is green, and the race thread pre-exists at the merge base.